Conforming Jesus to our Own Image, Part 2

Earlier today I posted some thoughts on how some recent surveys indicate that students (and adults, too) conform Jesus to our own image. The prompting came from a book I started reading called The Jesus Gap. The book takes a look at what teens believe about Jesus.

A few hours after writing it, a Facebook friend shared a link to an article that was written somewhat in response to a video posted by BuzzFeed called “I’m a Christian, but I’m not.” I had not yet seen the video (I have watched it since) and there was a link in that article to another blog post talking directly about the video. One particular point in the article echos what was shared in The Jesus Gap.

Mollie Hemingway shared five observations regarding the BuzzFeed video, but her first one was dead on. While the BuzzFeed video may have had some good intentions and helped communicate a message to a particular group of people, it left out one thing – Jesus.

Here’s what Mollie Hemingway wrote:

When you build your faith around what type of Christian you’re not, your faith is not built around Christ. Below is the text and transcription of the viral video. Note the absence of any mention of Jesus.

Text: “BuzzFeed presents, I’m Christian but I’m not…”

I’m Christian but I’m not homophobic;
I’m Christian and I’m definitely not perfect;
I’m Christian but I’m not close-minded;
but I’m not unaccepting;
but I’m not uneducated;
but I am not judgmental;
but I’m not conservative;
I’m not ignorant;
but I don’t place myself on a pedestal;
I’m Christian but I don’t have all the answers.

Text: “What are you?”

but I am accepting;
but I am queer;
I am gay;
but I am a feminist;
I’m a feminist;
definitely am a feminist;
but I do believe in science, in fact I think science makes God look really cool;
I’m not afraid to talk about sex;
I love me some Beyonce;
but I love wine;
I do believe in monogamy before sex but I will give you sex advice if you need it;
but I do go to church on Sundays;
I was a YoungLife camp counselor;
I do listen to Christian music, Christian rock, Christian rap, T-Mac, all the cool kids;
I have friends from all walks of life and different religions, and I love them all.

Text: What do you want people to know about Christianity?

I guess what I’d like people to know about Christianity today is that we’re all kind of not crazy;
We shouldn’t be judged on just the people that you see in the media, or just the people that you’ve met in everyday life. every Christian is different, and we deserve a chance to explain ourselves;
A lot of people think Christianity ruins people, but to me I think it’s people that are ruining Christianity, you never really see the good that happens, you only see the hypocrites, and the people who put themselves on a higher pedestal;
But at its core it’s really about love and acceptance and being a good neighbor;
Just because we prescribe [sic] to a faith that has some really terrible people in it doesn’t make all of us terrible;
I don’t think that Christians should judge people for who they are or what they do, I think everybody is in different part of life on their own path to wherever they’re trying to go. we’re all people and love is the most important thing.
Not a single mention of Jesus, the author and finisher of the Christian faith. In fact, you could easily switch out all references to “Christian” with any other religion or belief system and it would have the same amount of meaning.

I don’t question the intent of the people making the video or their desire to communicate what Christianity is to people, but it is somewhat disturbing that within all of what was said, there was no reference to Jesus. I think this is one example of many that seems to indicate that we can be guilty of conforming Jesus to our own image. Jesus is this or isn’t that based on the fact that I am (or am not) certain things.

In the opening pages of The Jesus Gap, Jen Bradbury shares a story told by Donald Miller in his book, Searching for God Knows What. Miller is teaching a class at a Bible College. He shares the Gospel with his class, but leaves out one element. The class has to determine what he leaves out. He talks for quite a while about sin, repentance, the promise of forgiveness and heaven. After a rather lengthy explanation, he asks the class what was missing. They have no response. The missing element: Jesus.

Miller doesn’t berate the class, but makes the observation that sometimes we get caught up in our own approach to Christianity, that we miss Jesus.

I found it interesting that this the video and subsequent articles came across my news feed on the same day I started to digest the information in The Jesus Gap. Perhaps God is gently nudging me (and obviously others) to make sure Jesus is the center of my faith, life and teaching.

The Rippling Effect of Influence

Yesterday we combined with another church in our community for our Sunday morning worship service. We are a predominantly white church and they are an African-American church and we worshiped together with a third church joining us about a year ago. For our service yesterday, some of their praise team members joined us for the music portion. Since our churches have different styles of music, they had to learn the songs “our way.” One of the songs was brand new to them (or at least most of them) and they had less than a week to feel comfortable with it. They were great!

A large portion of the service was given to testimonies and we had several individuals share. A recurring theme was how the influence of our church (which has been around for over 50 years) made a difference in the lives of people.

Here are a few examples:

– one gentleman who shared is in leadership in another church in Wilmington. He came to faith sometime after his teen years. He said some of the early seeds of faith were planted in him at the High School Prayer Breakfast our church offered when he was a student.

– another testimony was given by a man who recently moved back to Wilmington and has found a place of acceptance and support in our men’s group called “The Cave.” During his testimony he shared how he remembered coming to church here as a young boy. Now he is back and his kids are involved in our children’s ministry.

– one of our elementary aged boys was baptized near the beginning of the service. He was baptized by his grandfather who is a retired Baptist preacher who is serving as an interim minister at a local church. He meets with our pastor and several other pastors for prayer each Wednesday. He said he came to Wilmington to retire, but instead found revival. The father of the boy who was baptized grew up here at the church and has several family members who are still a part of our church family. He and his wife also serve in our student and young adult ministry.

I was impressed with the idea of how God has used this particular church family to influence so many individuals and families. While our church is far from perfect (just like any other church you would visit), God has used her to be a place of growth and life change for many individuals. Sometimes it is good to stop and celebrate who God is, what He has done and how He uses people to accomplish His purposes.

90 Day Challenge – Week 8

Today is Day 57 and the start of week #9 in our 90 Day Challenge! I hope you are encouraged by the time you are spending with God in His Word.

Yesterday we finished the book of Galatians and were reminded that Jesus is all we need!  There were some people around the Galatian church who were trying to add to what Jesus did for us through His death on the cross.  They were saying you had to accept Jesus and follow the Old Testament Law.  Paul said Jesus was enough.  His death on the cross and His resurrection from the grave satisfied our need for a Savior. In Galatians 2:20-21 he writes,

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

What Jesus did is enough to save us.  We don’t need to keep the Old Testament Law to be made right with God.  Everything we do should in gratitude for what Jesus did, not our effort to try to gain His approval.

Keep up the good work of the 90 Day Challenge. Remember that our goal is to develop the habit of spending time with God.  If you are right on track, behind or even ahead of schedule, keep opening His Word and listen to what He has to say.

90 Day Challenge – Week 6

We are continuing in our 90 Day Challenge and getting so very close to the halfway point. If you are on track with the challenge, this Wednesday will mark Day 45 – the midpoint of our 90 Day challenge. If you are not on track, don’t despair. Don’t give up. Don’t wave the white flag. Don’t throw your hands in the air in sheer frustration. Pick up wherever you are and continue on. Please remember – the goal is not to finish the challenge on April 6. The primary purpose of the 90 Day Challenge is to help us develop the habit of spending time with God in His Word. Most habits don’t come easily, especially when we have an enemy who wants to keep us from spending time in God’s Word. So, keep at it. Don’t give up. Press on!

This week is taking us through the book of Romans.  Martin Luther referred to this book as the Masterpiece of Scripture.  It can be challenging at times to follow what Paul is saying, but there are so many great truths in the book.  If you need to, take some time to re-read the verses and seek to understand what Paul is saying.

Keep up the good work of going through the 90 Day Challenge.  God speaks to us through His Word.

Unstoppable review

Many people are familiar with Nick Vujicic from his videos on YouTube and the sharing of his story through social media. Unstoppable is his second book and while I haven’t had the opportunity to read his first one yet, I knew this would be a good read.

What is interesting to see is the response Nick’s picture and story receive when initially viewed. I used a brief quote from Unstoppable in my Sunday School class a couple of weeks ago and I assumed most of my students had heard of Nick. Those who hadn’t were a bit taken back by the cover of his book. The first time you see a picture of a man born without limbs causes you to wonder how it happened or if the picture is real. He definitely captures a person’s attention.

While Nick’s story is both powerful and inspirational, I felt the strongest part of Unstoppable were the chapters that dealt with the subjects of bullying and suicide. In his story, Nick candidly shares his struggles with both of those issues. He offers practical advice and helpful resources to those who may be struggling with suicide or bullying and offers encouragement to those who know people battling with one of those challenges.

What added weight to the words of his own experiences were the stories he shared of people he met who contemplated suicide or were victims of bullying. He made it clear that those issues aren’t just dealt with by those who have a physical challenge such as his. The stories he shared of people he has met in his ministry under girded what he wrote about and brought those dark issues into the light.

He also brought a good challenge to the reader who may have a friend who is bullied or is showing signs of harming oneself. His encouragement was to step in, provide support and seek outside assistance for those who need it. One of the difficulties Nick had from his bullying experience was that no one spoke up for him. I thought his words on those two subjects were very helpful and a good resource.

Unstoppable is a story of faith, trust in God and how God uses people of all shapes and sizes to accomplish His work. It is a good read for both teens and adults.

(I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my review)

New Book “Unstoppable” Nick Vujicic

A lot of people have heard the name Nick Vujicic.  I’ve seen people post videos of his inspiring story.  He has spoken in schools and churches around the country.  His new book Unstoppable is set to be released in a just a couple of weeks.  Below is a video that gives some idea of what the book is about.  You can even read an excerpt of the first chapter by clicking here.

I received my preview copy in the mail this week and look forward to reading it soon.  Check back here in a few weeks and you can read my review of it.

There is a link on the excerpt page where you can pre-order your own copy of Unstoppable.

Fearless review

I just finished reading the last 60+ pages of Fearless.  While the cover of the book gives away the ending, it does not reduce the emotions the reader feels as the story reaches its end.  The author expresses in the Afterword the same thoughts I had:  “…the final chapters of this book were heartrending to write.  I knew what was coming, but I hoped for a different outcome…somehow.”

Fearless is not just the story of Adam Brown, but of parents who would not give up on their son: a girlfriend turned wife who would stubbornly stayed beside her husband to battle his demons; and friends who stood by their friend.

As a reader who has not served in the military, this book brings out the sacrifices made by those who serve in our armed forces and their families who give up so much.  Just this week a high school classmate of mine welcomed home her husband from a year’s deployment out of the country.  This book brings into greater clarity what it means for both solider and family as these missions separate husbands, wives and children.

Fearless shows not only the heroic side of Adam Brown, but also the real struggles he faced through his life.  It is an inspiring read and challenges the reader to overcome whatever obstacles he/she may face.  Adam’s faith is on prominent display throughout the book and reveals the important role his walk with Jesus played in his life.

All I can really say is to read the book.  Fearless is a powerful story of family, faith and service to country.

(I received this book from WaterBrook Multnomah in exchange for my review.)

Bob Goff at National Community Church

I’m in the process of reading Bob Goff’s book Love Does. Still have a few more chapters to go, but it is an excellent read (more on that in a later post.)

One of the podcasts I subscribe to is National Community Church, led by Mark Batterson. They recently had Bob Goff as a guest speaker. His message is full of such energy, great stories and challenge, you should take a look at it.

Tim Tebow @ CCU

Last night Tim Tebow spoke at Cincinnati Christian University. I graduated from there (a few years ago) and my son is currently a student there. My son sings in the choir that had the opportunity to sing at the event.

Fox19 interviewed some people after the event. One of the young ladies is friends with my son. The gentleman being interviewed is from Wilmington and is a youth minister in Cincinnati. My son even makes a 2-3 second cameo in the background. How’s that for 15 seconds of fame?!?

Click here to see the video from Fox19.

Baby Quinlan Update

Here is an update on Quinlan.  This was posted sometime over the weekend by JPBallphotograpy.  You can see all the pictures she was able to take on her blog.  There are some pretty powerful pics that show Quinlan’s development.  The picture on this page has Quinlan “holding” a ring from her mom and a ring from her dad.

If you missed the first part of Quinlan’s story, you can read what I posted last week.

Here’s the text that was posted.  Again, make sure you go to the photo blog to see some of the pics.

I was so happy to go back for a visit on Friday. What a wonderful experience! Jen had knit this beautiful rainbow dress and had the opportunity to put it on Quinlan for her first real photo shoot. Rainbows represent a promise and if you don’t know the story, take some time to read it HERE.

It was simply touching to watch Jen dress Quinlan and brush her hair for the first time.

I have many more pictures to share, but I’ll do so later. I wanted to share some before the day gets started.

Update for you prayer warriors. Quinlan is showing signs of strength and growth. She is up to 1 pound 10 ounces. She is breathing without the ventilator and her heart is functioning well. The main concern, as of yesterday, is one of her kidneys. Jen and Kevin are asking for prayer for her bowels. They need to move! Please keep sharing Quinlan’s story and keep praying!

Some days Quinlan can kangaroo in the a.m. and in the p.m. This is time she gets with her mommy, daddy and sister to snuggle skin to skin. 🙂